


Positive Reinforcement

by Hikary



Category: Miss Sloane (2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Mild Sexual Content, Open Relationships, Post-Movie, Praise Kink, i mean it Jane is a living praise kink, with some extras
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 22:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20433314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hikary/pseuds/Hikary
Summary: Seriously. Jane needs a t-shirt saying 'MY GIRLFRIEND IS HOT, YOU SHOULD ASK HER FOR A KISS' or something.orJane is willing to go an extra mile for a very specific kind of 'thank you'.





	Positive Reinforcement

**Author's Note:**

> Blah blah happy pride month blah blah Jessica Chastain blah blah I know it's basically September, well, it's always Pride Month in this fandom lol
> 
> The "positive reinforcement" is perhaps the most popular kind of dog training, and it I promise you it works on humans, too (I have two younger siblings, trust me). The last time I saw a character so whipped for the praise kink it was probably Light Yagami. 
> 
> Tag yourself I'm Jaaaaane (nah, I'm actually way nicer) BUT I STILL WANNA BE TAGGED AS JANE'

Jane is uncomfortable.

It might not be big news to the outside world, because she _does_ tend to come across as sensitive, or skittish. 

_Are you nervous?_ Liz had asked, the first time they'd met. _Does it matter? Do I look nervous?_ and Jane had know straight away that she had passed the test - Liz's grin had haunted her for weeks. 

Jane allows the old trick to work its magic, every time, and little she cares whether other people _see_ her or not. Let them think you're scared. She's not Elizabeth Sloane. Jane would wait until the opponent is close enough, and then bite hard enough to draw blood.

That, however, is mere lawyer logic. It is playground wisdom. Right now, Jane is _extremely_ uncomfortable, possibly because this isn't a fight and she has no one to attack. Jane might have forgotten what to do with another human being you don't have to crush.

« So... » she clears her throat.

On the opposite seat, just across the table but looking as if she might as well be in a parallel universe, there's Esme. _The_ Esme. Calm - or looking calm enough for the illusion to work - and unnervingly so. Sweet and pretty and all that shit. _Awfully pretty_.

Jane balances her glasses on the curve of her nose.

« So.. » Esme echoes her.

« Thank you for meeting me today. »

At least, _that_ is honest. Jane still doesn't understand why Esme accepted her invitation, or even why she picked up the phone in the first place. Jane wouldn't have. Hell, she would have blacklisted _every single one of them_.

« Did... did _she_ ask you to call me? »

« What? No, God, _no_. Liz doesn't even know I'm- »

Here it goes. It's a massive slip, really, a schoolbook mistake. Luckily, this is not a courtroom. Jane watches as Esme's pretty - _again? get a grip, girl! - _features twist into an almost comical expression, as she goes through all the phases - shock, confusion, reminiscence, and, at last, realisation. _Well, _Jane is battling not to lose her composure, _shit_. It was predictable - they don't even work together anymore, Liz hasn't been 'Elizabeth' in fucking ages.

Esme coughs. Jane is pleased to notice they're _both_ uncomfortable, now, and maybe she is not the one who would run faster.

« Liz. » Esme feels necessary to remark.

It is not going well, Jane thinks, although it's not going _bad_ either. It's just not going anywhere, really, and Jane must push it, get to the point, as much as she hates being here with Esme, awfully-pretty-Esme, so annoyingly polite and well-behaved and _shit_ if she doesn't deserve the 'girlfriend of the year award' this time.

« I-uhm-I didn't know » Esme breathes out, painfully, and instinct forces her to touch her lips with two fingers, only for a second.

That moment seems to scare her even more. Something clicks inside Jane's brain, as Esme blushes hard and proceeds to make a series of apologetic and very unattractive noises.

« That's okay » _what, _she ignores, but if it makes Esme blush and stammer, it must be silly and pointless and it won't ruin her plans « I- _we_ don't care about those things. »

She accompanies her words with a dismissive gesture, and, _again, holy shit_, Liz owes her a lot for this one. It might have been Jane's idea, but that doesn't mean it isn't also Liz's fault. Truth is, since they saw Esme's face on the TV, Liz has been intolerable. There's so much Jane tolerates, _everything_, in fact, when it comes to Liz. Watching her pining after the screen and being forced to listen to the whining - god, the whining! - is one step too much. Jane does love her. Even during her brief, enlightened moments of self-preservation, she still can't help it. She didn't know the extent of Liz's regrets and yet, whether she simply feels guilty or she is still harbouring a secret crush for Esme, Jane needs to see it through.

« We saw you on TV, Esme. An old documentary on gun control or something. She's been a mess ever since. I'm not sure what happened between the two of you, but if you could talk to her, just once, it would be...great. »

« Talk to her? »

« I mean, say you don't hate her, maybe? »

_Kiss her. Fuck her_. God, whatever.

« Assuming you don't hate her. » she adds, hopefully.

« No, I don't. »

Esme looks down at her own hands, but the corner of her lips reveals a traitorous smile. Hardly a surprise. Jane knows that smile, she had smiled that smile for a very long time, when she had started working for Elizabeth Sloane. _A month, three days, and four hours of overtime_, because Liz is not good at waiting too long for the things she wants. And not that Jane had been counting.

« It was just a kiss. » Esme almost chokes on her own words.

« It's okay. »

« I had no idea...she didn't say. »

« Esme. »

« Not that I'm blaming her I mean, I am, but I'm not...that's beside the point. »

« _Esme._ »

Seriously. Jane needs a t-shirt saying 'MY GIRLFRIEND IS HOT, YOU SHOULD ASK HER FOR A KISS' or something.

Now, Esme is looking straight into her eyes, and it's like Jane is staring into everything good and pure in this world. Slightly sickening. Jane prays _she_ had never looked like that herself, even on her first day - lost and innocent, in desperate need of saving. Is that what Liz saw in her? Ironic, and bittersweet, too. Of all people, Liz has always needed saving more than anyone Jane has ever met. The fact that she refuses to admit it is irrelevant. Jane taps her fingers on the table. Esme seems to react to the sound, and Jane spaces out for a second, thinking of her uncle, back home, training puppies. She found them annoying, although she remembers finding a sort of perverse sense of accomplishment when they responded to the triggers. Deep down, though, she knew it would’ve been meaningless if she hadn’t spotted a proud grin on her uncle’s face.

That’s how it has always worked for Jane, she is sharp and quick and hard-working, as long as she can get pat on the shoulder from the person she admires the most. It works with Liz, sometimes even too well, because Jane is not cut for a competitive market – competition is way less interesting than academic research – unless Liz places a hand on her forearm and nods approvingly, for a quarter of a split second.

It works with sex, too. 

Because even that one is boring, or it would be, without Liz breathing heavily underneath her, cheeks flushed and lips parted, looking at het like the rest of the world is not even there anymore.

So, Jane is doing this, and she’s getting praised for doing it well. Esme’s puppy look is doing wonders for her ego.

« I mean it, Esme. It’s not an issue, we’ve never been exclusive when it comes to sex. »

« But it was _just a kiss_. »

« Or kisses. »

« I’m sorry. »

« Just… Come and talk to her, would you? »

« Do you love her? »

_And that’s my cue._

Jane stands up. She grabs her back, then smiles down to Esme.

« You have my number. Give me a call when you’re ready. »

* * *

Esme, bless her, does call. Jane is practically giggling as they set up a meeting. Liz eyes her suspiciously for the rest of the week, even more so when Jane suggests they have lunch in a place on the other side of town. She pretends to be late while spying from a nearby café, then, when Esme confirms she is there, she graciously walks away, leaving Liz to it, like the perfect girlfriend she is.

Liz doesn’t exactly provide feedback, save for the mind-blowing sex – which is always welcome, although not the ‘thank you’ Jane _will_ get, sooner or later. She hasehas that damn pat on the shoulder.

«What is it you are all upset about? »

Liz is seizing her up from the other side of the room, a cup of coffee in her hands, leaning against the door frame. She is wearing the grey cardigan, her only piece of clothing that doesn’t look like it came straight from the front page of _Vogue_. Jane has always suspected there must be a sappy, disgustingly sentimental story behind it, therefore she never asked.

« Who says I’m upset? »

« Your nose tip. » Liz smiles over her mug. « You’re doing that weird offended-bunny thing. »

Jane debates whether it’s a good time to push her luck or just push her annoying girlfriend out of the window.

« I didn’t get a ‘thank you’. »

« Mh. » Liz takes a sip of coffee. « I did show you my gratitude, though. »

« But _I want a ‘thank you’. _» she pouts.

Liz laughs and walks up to Jane. She kisses the top of her head.

« _Thank you_, Jane. »

« _Don’t mention it_. »

« I love it when you’re sneaky. It reminds me of the good old days. »

« You mean, when we were breaking, like, 20 federal laws, I lost my job, and you went to jail? »

« The good days. That’s what I said. »

Jane can’t help but grin right back at her. It was a good time, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> The story of that cardigan is, in fact, extremely relevant. It's from Jess' character in _Molly's game_ and it constitues half of my sexual orientation.
> 
> (I honestly do love the plot of these movies, especially 'Miss Sloane', but HOW IS THIS PERSON EVEN ALLOWED TO BE SO GORGEOUS. DANG.)
> 
> This is definitely gonna end up in threesome (because I suck at open relationships sorry), so it might have a sequel.


End file.
